Relying on translators all the time is not a practical business approach. But this is what the bj-league forces teams to do, as news and official guidelines are rarely available in English.
Looking back on an issue from a Hoop Scoop column in 2010...
As a followup comment to Sunday's in-depth column about player protection rules, free agency and related topics, one Eastern Conference coach sent this reporter an insightful e-mail about the fact that the status quo is inadequate.
"There is no way for the (foreign) players to know if they are protected or not, released or not, as all the news is released in Japan in Japanese," the coach wrote. "(It's a) very, very unfair system for American players. It's using the system to your advantage even if it hurts players."
And again, it's a reminder that the league needs a legitimate international office with full-time bilingual office staff regularly available to deal with helping import players and their agents.
Looking back on an issue from a Hoop Scoop column in 2010...
As a followup comment to Sunday's in-depth column about player protection rules, free agency and related topics, one Eastern Conference coach sent this reporter an insightful e-mail about the fact that the status quo is inadequate.
"There is no way for the (foreign) players to know if they are protected or not, released or not, as all the news is released in Japan in Japanese," the coach wrote. "(It's a) very, very unfair system for American players. It's using the system to your advantage even if it hurts players."
And again, it's a reminder that the league needs a legitimate international office with full-time bilingual office staff regularly available to deal with helping import players and their agents.
